How to Go Racing on a Budget

The most honest advice I ever got about paying for racing came from a fellow who sat next to me during lunch at MSR Houston years ago. "If you want to go racing," he said, as I stared longingly at his GT3 Cup car, "start by becoming a success in your day job."

I'm passing this advice along just in case it's not too late for you to become filthy rich. If, however, you're a cubicle drone like me, it is still possible to get on track in your own car.

Start with autocross. A late-model vehicle in decent shape can get through an SCCA Solo season for less than a thousand bucks. The chances of damaging your car are very low, and the chances of significantly improving your understanding of vehicle dynamics are very high. Autocross is legitimate motorsport; if you don't get nervous before your last run of the day, then you're either dead inside or the greatest talent the SCCA has ever known. You'll also learn the rhythms and habits of racing—the early mornings, the constant checking of tire pressure, and how to perform basic maintenance.

What you will not get from autocross is the sensation of having cheated death at 150 mph or whatever speed sounds suitably impressive to your co-workers back at the office on Monday. For that, you'll have to go to a racetrack. Inevitably this is more expensive than autocross, but there are ways to do it without taking out a home-equity loan. Tracks often host events where you can, for about $200, lap for several 20-minute sessions with a group of similarly experienced drivers.

The bigger cost to consider here is the car. You may be able to make monthly payments on a Corvette, but you may not be able to afford tracking a Corvette. A humbler car, like an old GTI, runs on cheaper tires and brakes and goes through them more slowly. It's also cheaper to write off if you hit a wall.

You don't need the fastest car, anyway. At track days, you're competing not against other drivers, but rather your ego and inexperience. The typical novice spends two or three years in instructed groups before driving alone in sessions where the speeds are higher and the passing rules are relaxed.

After a few years of open lapping, you'll be ready to go to competition school and try your hand at real racing. The bad news is that doing so is hugely expensive. How expensive? Let's put it this way: I race a Plymouth Neon once a month, and it costs more than it would to lease a Huracán.

It's worth it. Racing is costly, and there will always be other bills to pay. But there really is a brotherhood of speed, and we're waiting for you to join us.

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